Murder at the Church House Inn

An account by Roy Massicks, Bay of Islands, New Zealand of a bit of his dodgy ancestry:

From the Coroner’s inquest 26th Febuary 1821 :-

The place :- The Church House Inn, Torver on the Moor.A group of people were playing cards on Saturday night when a quarrel broke out between 12 midnight and 1am between John Jones, Dancing Master and William Massicks, Jones slapped William Massicks on the face twice, and a fight ensued when Massicks’s father (John) interfered, but the deceased knocked the younger Massicks down, he begged of the deceased to be quit, and said he (Massicks) would submit, and immediately left the house. The elder Massicks and Jones then had a scuffle, They both fell to the foor; upon which the younger Massicks came very quickly into the house through the back passage and joined the fray, and with a knife or such sharp instrument, inflicted sixteen different wounds upon Jones. He died between two and three o’ clock in the afternoon of Sunday.The jury returned a verdict of – Willful murder against the younger Massicks and against the elder for aiding and assisting in the murder. The latter was commited to Lancaster Castle (Lancaster Assizes) by the Coroner, who issued a warrant for the apprehension of the former.John was acquitted but died a year later aged 53 so the stress could have told on his health.William was never found.

John Massicks was the publican of the Church House Inn.The land the church is on was gifted by the Massicks of this branch.John was a 3rd cousin 5 times removed to me.